Data storage systems commonly have a recording head that writes information to and reads information from a recording medium. One method of reading information from a recording medium utilizes a magnetoresistive transducer. An electrical current is passed through the magnetoresistive transducer as a magnetized recording medium is rotated beneath it. The electrical resistance of the magnetoresistive transducer, and hence the voltage across the transducer, changes in response to changes in the recording medium magnetization. Accordingly, the information written to the recording medium is able to be retrieved.